Chris Bosh Officially Leaves the Miami Heat and Retires Jersey

Chris Bosh finally ended his career with the Miami Heat after a halt due to blood clots. The team announced the formal agreement Tuesday (July 4) that it will retire the No. 1 jersey.

“Chris changed his life and basketball career when he came to Miami,” President of the Heat, Pat Riley said in a statement. “And he changed our lives for the better, in a way we never would have imagined, when he joined the Miami HEAT. We will forever be indebted to CB for how he changed this team and led us to four trips to the NBA Finals and two NBA Championships. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise. The number ‘1’ will never be worn by another player and we can’t wait to someday hang his jersey in the rafters. Today, we are both moving on but we wish Chris, Adrienne and their family nothing but the best. They will forever be part of the Miami HEAT family.”

After battling blood clots for a few years, Bosh, along with the National Basketball Players Association and the NBA, agreed on a one-time deal to permanently remove Bosh from the team’s salary cap – as reported by ESPN. The deal will give Bosh the option of returning to his career, but will have to be cleared to play by a team doctor. The agreement to release Bosh will give Miami access to about $37 million in salary cap for this coming season, according to ESPN. The Heat can use the extra cash to sign free agents when the league’s moratorium period ends.

Spending 13 seasons with the NBA, Bosh played seven seasons for the Toronto Raptors before coming to Miami. The 33-year-old was an NBA All-Star in each of his six seasons with the Heat. Being a huge part of bringing the Heat to two championships during 2012 and 2013, Bosh also brought the team to four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014. According to NBA.com, the center and power forward appeared in 384 games for the Heat throughout his six seasons with the team.

After the announcement of Bosh’s separation with the Heat, many supporters of his career went to social media to salute his career, including former team members LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.